


They don't know you like we do

by Multifandom_damnation



Category: Batman (Comics), Green Arrow (Comics), Nightwing (Comics), Red Hood and the Outlaws (Comics), Superman (Comics)
Genre: Implied/Referenced Drug Addiction, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, Multi, and they think about hurting ollie, but nothing too graphic, i know ollie isnt actually that much of a dick but I made him one, im sorry in advance, jason minor hurts himself at the end, sorry to all you oliver queen fans., theres not really graphic violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-13
Updated: 2017-07-13
Packaged: 2018-12-01 14:58:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,268
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11488782
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Multifandom_damnation/pseuds/Multifandom_damnation
Summary: Bruce Wayne orders an intervention between Roy Harper and Oliver Queen in order to try and repair their relationship.Nobody expects it to go well and it doesn't.Oliver may have brought backup, but so did Roy, and his backup is not taking any shit from Ollie.





	They don't know you like we do

**Author's Note:**

> I hope this is ok! Sorry, it's so long, I kept getting ideas and I ended up with this. Thank you fashionablensider and the-casual-cheesecake for helping me edit! Please enjoy :)

He did _not_ want to be here. The diner was small, and rounded white tables with red leather chairs filled up most of the checkerboard floor, the sterile feel made Roy think of a hospital with the staff waiting to be called in, the quiet atmosphere and the hushed speech. There was an old jukebox playing in the corner, the lights on top flashing neon and blasting out a scratchy tune through broken speakers. The table they had booked was already filled with people. 

Oliver and Dinah were at the end, faces hidden by their menus, but at the sight of Ollie, Roy wanted to stop, dig his heels into the polished tile and turn around, but Kori touched her hand firmly to the small of his back and nudged him forward.

Bruce and Dick were next to Ollie. Dick gave them a smile and a wave as they came in. Bruce only nodded, Roy sighed in a breath he hadn’t known he was holding when Jason’s shoulders relaxed in front of him as he realised that was the closest to a hello they would get that evening. Which, Roy was fine with. Clark who was sitting next to Dinah, was also reading his menu down on the table so he gave them a warm smile and watched them enter. He probably heard them when Jason parked. 

They were the only people in the diner, and Roy couldn’t help but wonder why. 

Jason and Roy stood aside so Kori could slip in first, then Roy so he was wedged between the two of them. Right in front of Ollie. Roy sighed. _I guess it’s going to be one of those nights._ Jason jiggled his keys around in his hand until the remote for his bike was between his fingers and he twisted around in the seat so he could point it in the direction of where he parked. There was a beeping, a robotic voice coming from a speaker in Jason’s keys that said _vehicle locked_ , and a flash of headlights through the glass. 

The lights made Oliver and Dinah lower their menus, noticing them for the first time. Dinah’s smile was big enough to crinkle her eyes, and Roy smiled back. Ollie didn’t even look at him but gave both Jason and Kori a respective nod. He sighed out through his nose. _This ‘intervention’ dinner was the worst idea Bruce has ever had. If I wanted to get back to being close with Ollie, I would have done it ages ago._  

Roy felt Jason clench his fists beside him and he grabbed his hand to try and open it. He only succeeded in wedging his fingers inside and having them crushed. _Ah,_ he thought as he tried to wiggle his fingers free. _I’m not the only one who noticed._ Roy moved closer to Jason and turned his head so he was looking out the window but his mouth was close to his ear. 

“Just try and get through tonight,” he whispered, quiet as he could. “We know he is going to be a dick. If you need to leave and cool off, we can go outside and have a smoke ok? I brought a new pack this morning. It’ll be fine.  I can take whatever punches he throws at me, and I love you Jaybird, but you don’t need to fight my battles ok?” 

Jason nodded and sat back, blowing air out of his nose. 

Roy looked around the table to see if anyone had noticed, but the only ones who did was Clark, who had super hearing for god’s sake so he was sure to have heard him, and Dick, who was watching Jason close his eyes and slowly unclench his fists with a look of worry directed at Roy, who just shook his head and mouthed _he doesn’t like Ollie_. Dick just shook his head and mouthed back, _don’t worry, he’s not the only one._  

“Right!” Clark announced giving Roy a sympathetic look that made him squirm slightly in his seat. “Are we ready to order?” 

Dick reached his hand to the middle of the table, shoving menus towards Roy who gave one to both Kori and Jason. 

Roy swallowed a bitter lump in his throat at Clark announcing everyone's orders, “Five beers for us, and Bruce, what was it, Orange juice?” the joke broke some of the ice that dragged in through the door when they walked in, but Roy could feel Ollie’s eyes drilling holes into the side of his head. He glanced at the menu and looked at Jason, who nodded. “Three waters for us.” Oliver stared harder at him, not even bothering to hide his contempt, it chilled Roy’s stomach further.   

Kori leant over and rested her head on Roy’s shoulder, grabbing his hand and stroking her thumb against the back of it. He knew it was meant to be reassuring but Roy couldn’t help thinking that it was going to be the last contact he got other than his fist slamming Ollie’s face at some point during this unholy day. 

Leaning over the gap between the seats, Dick whispered something in Jason’s ear that had Jason’s face going stony. His face went a shade of red it usually took when he wanted to rip someone into pieces with his bare hands, and that look was directed straight at Ollie, who didn’t seem to even notice, too caught up with Dinah, the saint, distracting him from throwing glares at Roy. Oddly, he saw Clark's head snap up and swivel from him to Ollie. Roy knew he probably wasn’t trying to listen. He wondered what Dick had said to grab his attention this severely. He watched Clark lean over to Kori and whisper something to her, leaving Roy awkwardly out of the loop, staring at the table. 

He fiddled with the straw in his glass until the food came, the steam of which fogging up Clark’s glasses making the group snicker at him. 

With a quick look at Jason, confirming that he was calm and looking down at his food, Roy decided nobody was going to be harmed yet and dug in with everyone else, but as he looked closer, he noticed Jason twirling his pasta around with his fork, Roy realized that Jason didn’t get a knife with his meal. He didn’t know whether to be worried or relieved. 

“So baby bird,” Dick started. “What have you guys been getting up to?” 

“Eh, not much” Jason replied, taking a sip of his water. “Drug busts, we’ve stopped a couple of heists, the usual.” 

Ollie was still looking at them weird, like he could believe they had ordered water. _Oh._

The conversation flowed into Roy’s ears like he was under water, and Roy stared intently at his plate, willing himself to pick up a fork. He wasn’t hungry anymore, the mere thought of putting food into his stomach making him want to gag.

He could feel Oliver’s eyes on him like a constant headache leaving his thoughts smouldering and smoking craters in his head.

He wanted to leave. He wanted to get up and walk out and not come back. He couldn’t believe how slow he was, of course Oliver was giving Kori and Jason weird looks because they ordered water instead of alcohol. He probably thought they were doing it for Roy’s sake. 

Roy could feel the proverbial storm in his bones, someone was going to say something they were going to regret, it was probably going to be him. The word vomit was two seconds away. He felt Kori’s hand on his thigh, fingers digging in slightly and bringing him back to the present. When he looked at her face she was smiling, but the smile had an undertone of concern and didn’t quite reach her eyes. She traced a finger against his leg. 

_A-R-E- Y-O-U- O-K?_

He slowly moved his hand up and flipped hers over palm up. Without looking at her, he traced back. 

 _Y-E-A-H- F-O-R- N-O-W._  

Kori left it at that and pulled her hand away with a final caress. Roy felt gratitude brewing in his chest for her and Jason, who promptly took his hand on the other side. 

“Say you two,” Ollie’s voice cut through Roy’s thoughts, making him gasp minutely and turn to look at Oliver pointing at Jason and Kori with a flick of his wrist. Jason’s grip on Roy’s hand tightened. “Is there any reason neither of you ordered an actual drink?”

Jason opened his mouth to respond but Kori beat him to it. 

“An ‘actual drink’?” she asked, smoothing invisible wrinkles in her dress,“Is water not considered a real drink on earth? All my time here I could have sworn that the clear liquid that humans ingest to quench their thirst was considered a drink. I also thought that it was extremely important to human living and a prime nutrient for survival. Jason, why did you not tell me that water was not actually a drink? I would never have started drinking it should I have known.” 

Beside Jason, Dick had his fist to his mouth trying to contain his laughter and failing. Jason smiled and gave Kori a look, which she returned with a triumphant smirk.

And Ollie’s face was turning a lovely shade of rose . 

Roy felt a small burning of satisfaction spread through his body like wildfire. 

“You know what I mean.” Ollie continued, gathering himself. 

“I’m not sure that we do.” Jason bit back, leaning back at his chair and crossing his arms, levelling Ollie with a glare that could melt icebergs. 

Oliver narrowed his eyes to slits as he looked back and forth between Roy, Jason and Kori. Suddenly he sat back in his chair crossed his arms, mirroring Jason, who then unconsciously uncrossed his so they were under the table again, one hand was on Roy’s thigh, and the other was reaching for his hip where, Roy hoped with everything he had, a gun was unusually absent. 

“Is it because of Roy?” Ollie eventually asked. 

Jason’s hand was impossibly tight on Roy's leg and he could almost imagine the tendons in his leg popping from the pressure. Dinah gasped and slapped him hard on the shoulder hissing an outraged _Oliver!_  

The others around the table were glaring at Ollie and gasping, Dick gave a concerned look to Jason then Roy and Kori, and when Roy looked over at her, Kori’s eyes were glowing an angry green like viper poison, stare levelled at Ollie. He knew she was about to shoot lasers any second, and he grabbed her arm when he saw her start to rise, pulling her down and keeping her in place. He threw his arm across Jason’s middle fast, to stop him from leaping over the table and strangling Ollie as well, making Jason dig his nails into the exposed skin of Roy’s arm. 

So, Jason looked at Ollie with murder written on his face instead. 

“What did you say?” He growled, spitting each word. 

Oliver looked taken aback, but Bruce and Dick looked like they were ready to either jump in front of Ollie and protect him or sedate Jason. 

“It’s ok Jason,” Dick said quietly, arms up trying to placate him. “I’m sure he didn’t mean it. Calm down.” 

“Oh no, I meant it,” Ollie said, a smug look on his face. “Just because he’s an addict doesn’t mean the people around him have to compromise for his weakness. This entire meeting is doomed if you think I'm doing that too.” 

Roy could feel the heat coming off Kori, her hair was glowing red, and the air around them was starting to smoke from the overwhelming heat coming from her eyes. Her fingers were starting to emit purple sparks and they were singing the hair on his arm, but he trusted her not to hurt anyone 

Jason’s nails on the other hand, were starting to draw blood, little rivulets running down Roy’s skin, and him, god bless his empathic heart, Roy did not trust. 

“Let’s go outside Jason,” Roy said, trying to get his attention with his face. “We’ll go have a smoke, ok? Ignore him, let’s go outside.” 

But Jason didn’t budge, didn’t even blink away from Ollie’s face. 

Ollie raised an eyebrow. “Aren’t they the ones supposed to be looking after you?” He asked Roy with a sideways glance. As if he didn’t even want to look at him. “Out of the three of you, I think they are the most capable of looking after themselves, don’t you?”

Roy wanted to turn to Oliver and tell him to shut it. Tell him that the only reason he did any of the things he did was because of Ollie. Wanted to tell him that the only people who had actually cared about him was Jason and Kori. Wanted to tell him that the only reason his smug face was still alive right now was because Roy was holding his lovers back and that if he didn’t shut it Roy would kill him himself. 

Instead, he turned to Jason and hissed in his ear, “Enough already. He’s not worth it.” 

“You would be surprised,” Kori snarled from Roy’s other side and a few of the others at the table turned to look at her in shock of hearing her sound like that. “How resourceful and self-sustainable Roy actually is. If it wasn’t for Roy, we would have died a long time ago.” 

She looked like she was less likely to get up then Jason was, so Roy removed his hand from her arm and leant across to whisper in her ear. 

“Don’t do anything stupid. Please don’t. He’s not worth it and I already have to keep Jay under control. I don’t need you as well.” She gave him a sharp nod and moved her hands under the table to grip the edges. The metal started to bend. 

“Well sweetheart,” Ollie drawled, lifting his glass up to his lips and taking a swig. “You obviously don’t know him like we do.” 

Roy twisted sharply in his seat and placed his hands on Jason’s shoulders to hold him down before he even had the chance to move. 

“Don’t,” He whispered in Jason’s ear as he started to struggle in Roy’s hold, “Let’s go outside.” When Jason didn’t move, Roy looked at his face. It was blank, stoic. Like stone, it reminded Roy of the way Jason used to look at Bruce. 

“Jason?” Roy asked and now everyone was looking at him. “You good?”

“ _How dare you!_ ” Kori shouted, making the table creak with how hard she was holding it. “You dirty, rotten scumbag-!” 

Roy spun to her with a shocked “ _Koriand’r!”_ just as Jason snarled “ _You know nothing about Roy!_ ” making Roy turn to him with an outraged “ _Jason Peter Todd_!” This did nothing to stop them because Ollie sat back in his seat with an eyebrow raised and turned to Roy and said, “Wow, and I thought it was you who needed the controlling.” 

Roy stood just before Jason did and shoved him out the gap, but not before Jason swung his arm and half the plates on the table went flying. 

“Roy Harper is a better man than you ever have been or ever could be Oliver Queen!” Jason growled, fists clenched at his sides.

Roy turned to Kori and jabbed a pointed finger at her. “Stay. Here.” He hissed as he turned back around to Jason without waiting for a reply. 

“Don’t lose your temper boy,” Ollie laughed from his seat. He was out of Jason’s range and unless Jay grabbed the knife he was eyeing on Dick’s plate and threw it at him, Ollie was safe. “You might make Roy lose his too!” 

“Listen, old man!” Roy snapped, baring his teeth and jabbing his finger in Ollie'sdirection. His finger was shaking and Roy couldn’t decide if it was out of anger, of fear, or both, “You need to learn how to keep your mouth shut. You know nothing about me and you’ve been out of my life for long enough now that you couldn’t tell me my top 5 arrowheads. So shut up, or I’ll come over there and make you.” 

He turned on his heel and pushed Jason towards the door, “Let’s have a smoke and calm down Jaybird.” He whispered in his ear, “Even breaths, that’s it.” 

“Yeah, run away like you always do Roy!” Ollie called out to their backs. _Fuck._  

Jason stopped and no matter how hard Roy tugged, he wouldn’t move. 

“You’ve always done this. You were always too weak to fight your own battles so you ran off and waited for someone to fight them for you. I see nothing’s changed.” 

Roy’s eyes widened. Not because he was particularly hurt by Oliver’s words, they were true, but because he could see Jason, see the way the muscles in his shoulders bunched together, see the way his spine constricted and his shoulders broaden, making him look bigger, like a predator., he saw his fists clench until the knuckles were white and started shaking, he felt his chest stop breathing and tense like he was about to leap, Jason slowly turned in Roy’s grip. 

“ _Jason don’t!_ ” The words were out of his mouth before he even realised he said them. But as Jason faced Oliver, Roy saw the proud look in Kori’s eyes and how Ollie seemed to shrink in his chair, and realised that nothing he could say would stop this. 

“Roy Harper,” Jason spat, words flinging from his mouth like acid, and oh god, Roy never wanted to hear Jason say his name like that again in his entire life, “Is the strongest man I’ve ever met. If it weren’t for Roy, I would be long dead. If it weren’t for Roy, none of us would be here. You hide behind your weapons Oliver Queen, but Roy makes his. He sits in his workshop for _days_ and builds and builds and builds so our sorry asses will be ready for _anything_. I have never seen the level of strength and dedication in you as I have in Roy. Don’t take his kindness for weakness, jackass." 

The room went silent. 

Kori had a small smile making its way to her lips. Clark and Dinah were wide eyed and open-mouthed. Bruce and Dick looked…Proud? 

Oliver on the other hand was still as stone, face carved into a look of utter distaste, and Roy wanted to cry, that expression of indifference haunted him worse than that of anger or disappointment. Roy woke up screaming to many things, but indifference killed him worse than anything his mind could throw at him. Fucking indifference. Fucking Oliver Queen. He needed to be out of this restaurant this instant. 

Roy spun Jason around and shoved him in the back and out the door. They rushed outside into the cold air that smelled of electricity and old garbage, and Roy dug around in his pockets for his new pack of cigarettes and a lighter which he studied it intently. It was a plain white one but he must have stuck a sticker on it at some point because a bright yellow smiley face sticker was staring up at him from his hand. Roy didn’t know how old it was, he had an odd habit of fiddling with things in stores and forgetting to put them down, so they had accumulated piles of lighters back home that they didn’t know what to do with. Lighters, Roy thought, were a better distraction than he realized.

He lit Jason one and passed it to him, flipping it around in his fingers so the burning part was towards his own palm, giving Jason more room for his own. Jason looked at it like it had personally offended him, but took it in his mouth just when the heat was beginning to lick Roy’s skin. “You alright Jaybird?” Roy asked and Jason took a long drag from his cigarette. He didn’t answer, instead he blew the smoke slowly out through his nose, letting it curl up into the dark night in a great puff of grey. He blew the rest out from his mouth and his face was obscured until it too floated upwards. 

“How can you let him talk to you like that?” Jason asked, turning to Roy, he looked angry.

“How can you just let him walk all over you? You didn’t even defend yourself.” 

Roy didn’t really know what to say. “Well,” he started, taking a quick inhale of his own cigarette. Jason waited for him patiently as he thought of what to say. 

“He’s not all that wrong.” He said finally, ducking his head down. When he looked back up, Jason looked like he wanted to shoot him. 

“How can you say that?” He shouted, waving his arms in front of him. Inside, Roy saw, Clark was looking at them, and Kori was talking. 

“You are none of the things he said!” Jason exclaimed. 

“Still,” Roy said turning back to Jason. “There was no need for you or Kori to go off at him like that.” 

“Well someone had to,” Jason snapped “And because you didn’t care, we took charge.” 

“You don’t need to fight all my battles for me Jay.” 

“Apparently we do,” Jason said, and he closed his eyes as though he was about to say something he didn’t want to, “We’re not always going to be there to defend you, Roy. You really do need to stand up for yourself.” 

“Yeah well,” Roy said bitterly “Maybe if I wasn’t too busy taking care of the two of you I could watch my own hide for once.” 

“That’s not what I mean Roy.” Jason sighed, rubbing the back of his head and watching leaves blow in spirals against the floor. 

“You sure you want to defend me Jason?” Roy asked quietly. Jason looked up. “Because you’re starting to sound a lot like Ollie at the moment.” 

Jason somehow went pale and red at the same time. “B-But you’re not any of the things he said! You- “ 

“Listen Jay,” Roy took another drag from his cigarette, half burned out so he could feel the soft burn near his fingers, “I love you. I love Kori. I love that you love _me_ so much that you defend me in front of Ollie, but if I couldn’t take it, I would not have even come to this idiotic idea of a meeting. I can take his blows.” 

“Yeah but you shouldn’t have to Roy,” Jason said, cigarette forgotten, leaving a trail of smoke from the red-hot tip into the sky. “He shouldn’t talk to you like that." 

“What are you going to do Jay?” Roy asked. He gestured to the window, to the people sitting behind the glass. “What could you possibly say that hasn’t been said before? That I’ve changed? That I’m better? That I have never and will never do it again? That I’ve paid my debts? Nothing you can say will change the fact that in his mind, I’ll always be a junkie who failed him, and I’ve made peace with that,” He took a few steps forwards and placed his hand on Jason’s shoulder, “You should too.” 

Jason was staring at the dirty concrete, hands balled into fists again. The cigarette didn’t seem to help him calm down, but it at least seemed to make him listen. In the distance there was a crackle of thunder and it started to lightly rain. 

Roy took his hand off of Jason’s shoulder and turned to walk away, “Let’s go back inside. Who knows what Kori’s been saying. Hopefully it’s got nothing to do about what we do behind closed doors or what I can do with my mouth.” He turned to Jason and gave him a wink to try and lighten the mood, but Jason hadn’t moved. 

“Jason?” He asked, dropping his cigarette on the floor and crushing it out with his heel. “What’s wrong? If you're worried about Clark hearing what I said, I’m sure he’s heard worse and hey- we’re adults, our sex lives are none of his business and-” 

“It’s not that,” Jason ground out. There was a squeaking of leather from his gloves as his fists tightened again, Roy tried to remember when Jason had time to pull them out of the bike, “I won’t let him talk to you like that anymore. I won’t. I’ll kill him before he does it again.” 

“Jason, just come inside for a few minutes! We’ll pay for our meal, say goodbye then leave!” 

Jason took a deep breath. “Go in without me,” He said, “I need a bit more time.” 

Roy looked up at the sky as it started to rain heavier, the thunder getting closer and the lightning seemingly around the corner, the bright flashes sometimes illuminating the whole sky. 

“But- it’s raining?” He asked Jason. 

“Just give me a minute.” Jason whispered and Roy barely heard him over the rain, but he knew that there would be no more arguing with Jason about this, so he turned back towards the glass doors of the diner, calling out “Don’t take too long!” over his shoulder. 

He was just about to push open the doors when he heard the beeping, the robotic _vehicle unlocked_ and the bright flashing of the headlights that seemed like a lightning blast at first. He paused, looked through the glass at everyone looking at him, Kori staring behind him with worry on her face, so were Dick and Bruce… 

 _Shit._  

He whirled around just as Jason’s motorbike roared to life, seeming to rattle the windows and the rocks on the pavement. 

“What are you _doing_?” He shouted over the rumble of bike and the heavy downfall,“Where are you _going_?” 

Jason didn’t answer, instead putting on his helmet and reversing out of the carpark. He took one last look at Roy, at the diner, at the building with the man he wanted to strangle, and drove off down the road, his lights and the thrumming of the engine that seemed to run through Roy's bones the only sign that he was there at all. 

Roy watched the headlights disappear around a corner and listened until the roar of the bike faded into nothingness, then walked towards a window. He didn’t want to go inside anymore. He didn’t think he would be able to face Ollie without Jason. The rain started to fall in a heavy torrent as Roy sat down against one of the large windows. He sat there until the rain had soaked through his clothes and turned his hair into a dark dripping mess. Then he pulled one leg up, put his face in his hands, and waited.

* * *

 Kori watched Roy fidgeting with a lighter through the window and wondered which one he had. There were many littered around their home, in the bathroom cupboards, in the fridge, in her bedside draw even though she doesn’t smoke, in between the couch cushions, his workshop. It was one of his quirks that made him that more human, and Kori’s heart leapt in her throat at the reminder. 

“Told you he would run away.” Oliver said with smug satisfaction, and Kori wanted to turn him into a smouldering mess. “He never could cope with a fight. Or any kind of confrontation for that matter.” 

“Be quiet Ollie,” Dinah scolded from beside him. She was the one that Roy liked, and always said that when he was lost in the dark she had helped him find the light, “This is all your fault and you know it.” Kori’s eyes gravitated towards her face as she spoke, she was so glad Roy had her. 

“He shouldn’t have come if he couldn’t take the heat.” Oliver shrugged and brought his glass to his lips. 

Kori sucked in a calming breath and subtly brought her hand up. The glass and its contents bubbled and melted, causing Oliver to drop it on the table and all over himself. He glared accusingly at Kori, whipping his hands on his pants. 

“They live with me,” she said matter-o-factly, “I think Roy can take heat.” Ollie rolled his eyes but didn’t say anything. 

She looked out the window again. She could barely see her boys, save for the faint red glow of the cigarettes. She turned back to the table. 

“This may be hard for some of you to believe,” she started, meeting the eyes of the occupants, “But Roy Harper is a very honourable man. He is our glue, and Jason nor I would be here together if it weren’t for him.” 

Clark placed his hand on her arm, his eyes going big, and kicked puppy-ish, and very superman-wants-to-save-the-world-ish.“We understand that Kori,” he said gently. “We’re all very worried about him- “ 

“Why?” She asked, and raised the temperature in her arm, willing him to let go, “There is no reason to worry about him. He is fine. He is happy. He has found love, a home, a family. What is there to worry about?” 

Clark opened his mouth, then closed it with a sigh. He looked around the table as though looking for help, but it seemed the no one knew what to say. He removed his hand. 

“Koriand’r,” Bruce said, not gently, like he wasn’t trying to calm her down, and she appreciated him for the first time for it,“We understand that you care for Roy. What happened tonight was- “He shot a look at Oliver, “out of line. It won’t happen again.” 

“It won’t, because the next time it does Jason and I will punish him with a tortuously slow death and then put his head on the castle battlements of my home planet.” She said and let a smile cross her face, gaining some satisfaction on seeing the apprehension spread across their features. 

“How can you say that?” Jason’s voice drifted angrily from outside and when Kori turned to look out the window, he was waving his arms about, “You’re none of those things!” 

She turned to Clark. 

“You can hear them, can’t you?” She asked, and at his nod she added, “Is Jason telling Roy that he is not the sum of his past, but his present and future?” 

“Something like that, yeah.” He replied, drumming his fingers against the table. 

Kori nodded. 

“That is the truth. Roy is a warrior,” She said, “I have watched him fight tooth and bone to protect the things he loves. I have seen him injured more times than I wish to remember, but every time still he bounces back like nothing ever happened. I often wonder if he is just doing it for our sake. Jason and I are too brash and headfast during battle and Roy is always there to guard our backs and protect us.” 

She ignored Dick’s flinch, and the wrinkles that molded on Bruce’s brow at her words. _Another problem for another day,_ she thought. 

“Yeah well,” Oliver interrupted, “That’s not going to happen in the real world is it? He won’t be a superhero forever and- “ 

“And he is a fantastic father.” Kori snapped, “And he has an amazing daughter who he would do anything for. You should see them together. It’s beautiful. It’s the life I would have liked to live with my father if my childhood had not been stolen from me.”

That shut Ollie up, and he looked down at the shiny table. 

“Roy is not just a recovering addict. He is a friend, a father, a lover, a hero,” Kori said, “He will do anything you ask of him, he will fight to the death if it means your safety, he will break any bone in his body if you only give the word. He is a dependable friend, a valiant hero and an irreplaceable team-mate.” 

Outside, Roy had his hand on Jason’s shoulder. It looked like they were about to come back inside and just in time too, because little droplets of rain started littering the glass of the diner. He turned around and said something over his shoulder with a smile. Suddenly, Clark went red beside her and coughed into his hand. She looked at him and a sly smile made its way across her face. 

“What is it Mr. Kent? Is Roy telling Jason about his talents in bed? I must say, as I have experienced of what he can do first hand, his mouth is a tool of complete wonder and it works pleasures after long nights of patrol. I’m sure Jason would agree.” She cherished the embarrassed blushes that rounded the table with a twisted sense of justice and hoped Roy didn’t mind that she had said anything. Although, from the fact that he let Superman hear him, he didn’t care one bit. 

A bright flash hit the diner’s window, lighting up the place in fragments of yellow and they all turned to the door where Roy was paused, one hand on the handle. He looked at her, but she was looking past him, to Jason on his bike, about to ride away. Roy spun on his heel and sprinted over, shouting to be heard over the rain and Kori’s heart broke as Roy stood in the rain for a moment before deciding to abandon the restaurant and its occupants and sink to the floor against the row of glass windows outside with his head in his hand.

“This is your doing,” she said to Oliver before she left promptly out of the door, “We will never forget that.” Then she pushed the door right open and made her way into the night. 

Before the door slammed, she heard Dick groan and say to Bruce, “I told you this was a terrible idea!” 

Kori walked towards Roy, hair sending up sparks and steam as the water hit it, creating waves of light around her, she was grateful for a second for her physiology, Roy would take comfort in the warmth.

She sat down softly next to him and if he had known she was there, he didn’t show it. She moved her hair to the other side of her body then gently rested her head on Roy’s shoulder, and looked up at him. 

“You look like a drowned rat.” She said. He removed his hands from his face and looked at her. “I feel like it too.” He sighed. 

“Well,” Kori reasoned, “You have been outside in the rain for a while.” She looked down and grabbed his hand so she could trace patterns on his palm. Roy didn’t say anything. 

They sat in silence for a moment, the only sounds were the booming of the thunder coming closer, the rain pelting the pavement and the windows, Kori’s hair singing in the wetness and their breathing. 

“This is my fault.” Roy whispered, breaking the silence. Kori snapped her head back up to look at him. 

“No.” She said firmly, “This is not your fault and it has never been your fault. It has always been him.” When Roy didn’t answer, she sat up a bit straighter to kiss his cheek. He returned it with a smile. 

“Jason was really angry when he drove off,” She said, pushing his wet hair behind an ear, “What did you say?” 

“Me?” Roy asked, staring at where Jason’s bike was parked, “Nothing. I don’t think he actually calmed down from what Ollie said.” 

“So much for the cigarette, huh?” She asked with a small laugh. 

Roy laced his fingers through Kori’s, “Yeah.” 

“You know he just wants you to be happy, right?” Kori asked, and nestled into his side and pulled her hair around them for both warmth and light. “We both do.”

"Yeah, I know.” Roy chuckled, weaving his fingers in her hair 

The silence was getting to Kori, so she snuggled closer and looked up at Roy from her position on his chest. “What now?” She whispered. 

Roy squeezed her hand tightly, a determined look suddenly on his face and a smile on his lips. “Let’s go and get that lunatic.”

* * *

 

Jason had to leave. He felt it in his bones. He had to leave before he hurt someone. He had to. He would never forgive himself if he had hurt Ollie. He wanted to, so badly, but he knew he couldn’t. 

He saw the fear, the worry on Roy’s face as he saw Jason take off and that was nearly enough for him to turn back, lock his vehicle and go back inside with him. 

Nearly. 

The rain fell noisily as he rode, heavy splatters landing on his helmet. He was grateful of the biting wind and the freezing rain, hoping it would help cool the white hot rage that had him seeing stars. He tried to calm down, pushing images of Oliver Queen from his mind, and drove in the roar of the engine and the rain. 

A beeping came through his helmet speakers, telling him he had a transmission. He went to cancel it, but it went through to the voicemail anyway, and Dick’s face popped up in his front visor. 

“Hey baby bird,” He said, the room he was in was quiet and the ugly tiled patterns told Jason he’d escaped to the bathroom,“I know you're probably not going to answer this, but that’s ok. I just wanted to let you know that I’m sorry for tonight. What Oliver said was wrong and I promise I’ll make him pay for it. Bruce will too. Although, I think Kori already gave him an earful,”

His face twisted and his voice got higher as he added, “Like, I knew you guys had a sex life but we really didn’t need to hear about it at the table.” 

Jason grinned. _Go Kori_ .

“That’s all,” Then a pause, “You did good tonight, Jason,” he added softly,” I’m proud of what you did for Roy and I’m proud of the person you’ve become. ‘Night Jay.” 

The transmission ended and Dicks face disappeared, but not before he blew Jason a mock kiss. Jason rolled his eyes. _Loser,_ he thought.

He rode over the crest of a hill and saw their house at the end of the street. The lights were on, _again._   

 _Goddamn Roy._  

He opened the garage door with another click of his keychain and slowly walked his bike in. He opened the door the lead into the main room and walked in. 

He shed his jacket and his gloves, suddenly boiling, and dropped them on the couch as he passed. He kicked off his shoes near the door. 

He still felt this overwhelming urge to shoot something, to hurt someone- preferably Ollie. His fingers tingled, adrenaline pumping through his veins unused, his entire body thrumming for a fight. 

He spun around and threw his hips and shoulders into a punch that landed in the wall. His fist went right through to the wood behind and a small chunks of plaster and drywall fell on the floor beside his naked feet. 

He placed his other hand on the wall and pulled his fist out. It came back bloodied, pieces of wood and metal in the spaces between his knuckles. It was already starting to bruise. _Must have hit the wooden beams._ He thought. Then he looked at his other hand. _Oh well, better make it even._ He pulled his body back and drove his other fist into another part of the wall with the same result. 

Feeling slightly better, Jason walked away from the wall and shook out his hands. He cracked his knuckles. Flexed his fingers. He walked towards his bedroom, passing Kori’s room, his shooting range and Roy’s workshop. Jason paused there to see if Roy had cleaned and organised it like he said he would, but it was still a cluttered mess. Blueprints littered the floor, nuts and bolts were everywhere and arrow heads were scattered haphazardly on the table.

Jason made his way to his bedroom, closing and locking the door behind him. 

He walked towards his bed, pushing guns and ammo clips out of the way and onto the floor until he could see the sheets. 

He didn’t feel like sleeping. He didn’t feel like doing much of anything. All he wanted to do was think about how much he wanted to turn Ollie into a bloody pulp. That made him smile. 

There was a knife on his bedside table and he grabbed it, twirling it around in his hands, hand on the hilt and point on his finger. 

He didn’t know how long he could see in his peripheral the spot of blood seeping from the puncture wound on his arm on the clean sheets, and he could hear Roy and Kori open the front door.

* * *

 

Roy knew something was wrong as soon as Kori and he touched down at the front door. He couldn’t see Jason though the windows and his clothes were hanging on the back of the couch. He unlocked the door and pushed it open, and froze in the doorway at the sight of the ruined wall across the room where two holes gaped open like wounds, with spatters of blood coloring their edges, around the place where a framed picture of Bruce and Jason sat after Dick visited them for the first time. 

“Roy,” Kori said as she bumped into him, “What are you- oh.” She gasped. 

He spun around from the scene and ran through the house. 

“Jason!” He called, banging open every door, every room until he got to Jason’s room and smashed against the locked door. 

“Kori!” He shouted, and leant against the opposite wall and kicked the door down, sending it crashing against the back wall just ask Kori came around the corner.

Jason was sitting on his bed, a knife in between the fingers of two hands, his blood staining the bed, his hands glistening red. 

“Jason?” He asked quietly, taking a step into the room, Kori right behind him, “Are you alright?” 

He looked up from staring at the knife. “You didn’t turn the lights off when we left.” Was all he said 

Roy and Kori shared a look, then as one walked towards the bed. 

“Give me the knife Jay.” Kori cooed, holding her hand out until Jason placed the knife in it. Roy sat down on one side and once Kori put the knife on the other end of the room, she did too. Roy looked at Jason’s hands, and without a word he reached behind him to the bedside table and took a wad of napkins from it and dabbed it methodically around Jason’s fingers.

Kori left to the bathroom and came back with antiseptic and rolls of bandages, and Roy started wrapping Jason’s damaged hands with it instead. 

“Doesn’t this hurt?” He asked, “Can’t feel it.” Jason whispered, flexing his fingers. Kori kissed him to take his mind off of Roy, and then when he was done, Roy pulled everyone into the bed together. 

“I am stunned at how you guys love me,” Roy said into the silence, “But, this can’t happen again, it’s not good for you.”

“We all have our issues,” he continued, holding Jason closer, “we can’t fight each other's battles and stay standing in our own.” 

“I love you,” He sighed, “Both of you.” 

He stayed up until he could hear his lover's’ soft snores. He pushed his face closer to them and drifted off surrounded by their heat.

 


End file.
